Extra Special Bitter
Trinity Brewhouse
- From:
- Trinity Brewhouse
- Rhode Island, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
- ABV:
- 4.5%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.61 | pDev: 9.14%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Dec 28, 2017
- Added:
- Nov 05, 2004
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
Our award winning Extra Special Bitter is a smooth, malty, copper colored beer with a full body and mellow hop flavor. The third and strongest member of the bitter category, this ale is meant to be drunk by the pint in good company! Unfiltered.
35 IBU
35 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by youngs11 from Massachusetts
3.52/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.52/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from growler into pint glass.
Translucent copper with faintly visible carbonation. Half finger of off-white cap that offers excellent retention and lacing. Very inviting.
Not a whole lot going on in the nose. Smells malty and toasty, a little grainy. Not much in the hop/bitter department in the smell.
Taste is simple and balanced. rich malty front end is foiled with a bitter kick and a nutty, bread-like finish. Pretty straightforward.
Moderate carbonation with medium-heavy body. Good amount of substance to it for a relatively low ABV brew.
Overall I enjoy Trinity's ESB. It is simple, but not in a boring way. I feel that they have done a great version of this timeless style. I recommend trying it.
Dec 19, 2013Translucent copper with faintly visible carbonation. Half finger of off-white cap that offers excellent retention and lacing. Very inviting.
Not a whole lot going on in the nose. Smells malty and toasty, a little grainy. Not much in the hop/bitter department in the smell.
Taste is simple and balanced. rich malty front end is foiled with a bitter kick and a nutty, bread-like finish. Pretty straightforward.
Moderate carbonation with medium-heavy body. Good amount of substance to it for a relatively low ABV brew.
Overall I enjoy Trinity's ESB. It is simple, but not in a boring way. I feel that they have done a great version of this timeless style. I recommend trying it.
Reviewed by Duhast500 from Rhode Island
3.45/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.45/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a tasting glass.
The color is dark gold with a slight finger of foamy white head and some slight lacing on the glass.
The smell is malty with a bit of a bready aroma. There is a good spice aroma that has some slight bitter hops attached to the back that is there and gone pretty quickly.
The taste is hoppy with some nice English hop flavor that is present through out this beer. Just the right amount of hop flavor and not over done. The malt flavor comes and balances things and really contributes to a great sweetness that is inviting and well contracted.
The feel of this beer is pretty smooth since this is balanced so well. The bitterness is there but with some nice sweetness turning things over and keeping things evened out there is no overwhelming aftertaste and seems to really leave things as they were with out wrecking the pallet.
Dec 06, 2011The color is dark gold with a slight finger of foamy white head and some slight lacing on the glass.
The smell is malty with a bit of a bready aroma. There is a good spice aroma that has some slight bitter hops attached to the back that is there and gone pretty quickly.
The taste is hoppy with some nice English hop flavor that is present through out this beer. Just the right amount of hop flavor and not over done. The malt flavor comes and balances things and really contributes to a great sweetness that is inviting and well contracted.
The feel of this beer is pretty smooth since this is balanced so well. The bitterness is there but with some nice sweetness turning things over and keeping things evened out there is no overwhelming aftertaste and seems to really leave things as they were with out wrecking the pallet.
Reviewed by ShogoKawada from Pennsylvania
3.68/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.68/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
64oz growler poured in to wide tulip. Asked Trinity's Facebook page what was on tap, they suggested the ESB. Not a style I'm terribly familiar with, but here it goes!
A- Nice burnt amber pour, a bit orange/rust. Burnt sienna? Creamy 1 finger head, beautiful sticky lacing on this.
S- Sweet fuity malts and a zesty hop note. Citrus, a bit of pine.
T- Bitter blast, earthy, pine sap, and a dash of citrus. Nice bitterness. Malt is dry, and a bit bready/grainy. Works well with the earthiness. EKG hops? Methinks so. I'm starting to get used to the earthy flavors they bring, and I kind of dig them.
M- Body is nice. Not nearly as sweet as I was thinking, and I really am happy about that. Dry and bitter finish.
D- Fairly high. Session(able)... easy to drink. I'd prob. pass on another growler, but I'll have a pint of this again for sure.
Feb 09, 2011A- Nice burnt amber pour, a bit orange/rust. Burnt sienna? Creamy 1 finger head, beautiful sticky lacing on this.
S- Sweet fuity malts and a zesty hop note. Citrus, a bit of pine.
T- Bitter blast, earthy, pine sap, and a dash of citrus. Nice bitterness. Malt is dry, and a bit bready/grainy. Works well with the earthiness. EKG hops? Methinks so. I'm starting to get used to the earthy flavors they bring, and I kind of dig them.
M- Body is nice. Not nearly as sweet as I was thinking, and I really am happy about that. Dry and bitter finish.
D- Fairly high. Session(able)... easy to drink. I'd prob. pass on another growler, but I'll have a pint of this again for sure.
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island
3.85/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.85/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap 4/1/07 at Trinity Brewhouse in Providence, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.
A: The beer is a golden brown color, with a large dense off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick even lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is very faint, but contains caramelized malt, hops & some spice.
T: The taste is very hoppy with a hearty malt character and some flavors of nuts and spice. Unlike some ESB’s this is actually bitter, which is a good thing in this case. It seems to taste a lot like their RI IPA, which I like a lot, without the extra sweetness.
M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean finish.
D: Tasty, goes down easy, not very filling, excellent representation of style, it’s a good beer to stick with for an evening.
Apr 02, 2007A: The beer is a golden brown color, with a large dense off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick even lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is very faint, but contains caramelized malt, hops & some spice.
T: The taste is very hoppy with a hearty malt character and some flavors of nuts and spice. Unlike some ESB’s this is actually bitter, which is a good thing in this case. It seems to taste a lot like their RI IPA, which I like a lot, without the extra sweetness.
M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean finish.
D: Tasty, goes down easy, not very filling, excellent representation of style, it’s a good beer to stick with for an evening.
Reviewed by dbalsock from Vermont
3.81/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
3.81/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
appearance: pours a medium copper tone with a white (or near white) head.
smell: smells primarily of fruit and malt sweetness. the hops are a little overpowering in the fruit section.
taste: very nice. there is a great balance between the hops and the malt, providing a sweet and bitter taste fest in my mouth.
mouthfeel: like i said above, this is quite bitter, but it's also quite balanced. the mouthfeel is interesting and very likeable, aided by the perfect texture and body of the brew.
drinkability: this is one of the few beers that i would choose to have over and over again in a single setting... as opposed to trying something new. i found it easily drinkable and quite satiating (yet enticing).
Feb 19, 2006smell: smells primarily of fruit and malt sweetness. the hops are a little overpowering in the fruit section.
taste: very nice. there is a great balance between the hops and the malt, providing a sweet and bitter taste fest in my mouth.
mouthfeel: like i said above, this is quite bitter, but it's also quite balanced. the mouthfeel is interesting and very likeable, aided by the perfect texture and body of the brew.
drinkability: this is one of the few beers that i would choose to have over and over again in a single setting... as opposed to trying something new. i found it easily drinkable and quite satiating (yet enticing).
Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina
3.36/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.36/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Definitely one of the hoppier beers by Trinity. It's not sour hops like their Pale Ale, but a more full, well-rounded bitterness. The taste was a kick in the hops compared to most of the beers brewed there. The bitters made me pucker up. The aftertaste was that of an orange peel. Also, it poured with no head to speak of and was the color of a burnished copper penny. There was also very little carbonation.
Nov 05, 2004
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!